Cursed
by storyspinners
Summary: Being the Twice Blessed child is not as easy as people think, and Wyatt's just trying keep up with it all. Changed future.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: We don't own Charmed, or anything remotely close to it.

StorySpinner#1: I always feel a little simpathy for Wyatt, who seems to take a back seat in a lot of stories. So this is a different take on Wyatt's character.

StorySpinner#2: It's because your a first born child. What about all the second born kids in the world!

StorySpinner#1: Relax. This isn't a "let's bash Chris" story. He and Wyatt are my favorite characters in Charmed, it's just a closer look at Wyatt.

StorySpinner#2: Chris rocks.

**

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Even early on a Saturday morning, the Halliwell Manor buzzed with excitement. The Charmed sisters and their husbands were running about the Manor, cooking, cleaning, bringing last minute plans together. Everyone was working hard at something, even all their children.

All the children, that is, except one.

Wyatt Halliwell rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning as he woke up later than everyone else and sleepily made his way downstairs. At the sight of his entire family in the house, he was glad at least that he had changed out of his pajamas.

Dragging his feet, the oldest charmed child made his way to the kitchen, his stomach howling for his mother's homemade breakfasts.

"Glad to see you're finally up, sleepyhead," Piper smiled to her son as he sat down. She placed a plate of waffles in front of him before returning to her other simmering pots and pans. It looked like she was planning on feeding a small army.

Taking a bit of food, Wyatt mumbled, "Watis eweryon oing ere?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Sorry," Wyatt said, stabbing his fork at another piece of waffle, "So what is everyone doing here anyway?"

"Oh honey, did you forget again?" Piper said, pulling more food out of the oven.

"Forget what?"

Piper turned and stared at her eldest son with a mixture of amusement and pity. "It's Peyton's birthday today," she said.

Wyatt spit out his waffle. "What! I thought that wasn't for a few more days!" Wyatt said. Peyton was Phoebe's youngest child as well as the youngest of the cousins and for her, birthdays were a big deal. Wyatt remembered the last time he forgot her birthday, and it wasn't pretty. "I don't even have a birthday present or anything!"

Piper had resumed her cooking, tossing over her shoulder, "Mel and Chris already do. Why don't you ask if you can jump in on their's?"

"But I—"

Suddenly, a rather frantic looking Phoebe rushed into the kitchen, waving a phone around, followed by a bouncing Peyton. Peyton was dressed in pretty pink princess dress with a bright gold birthday crown on top of her brown pigtails.

"Piper, the clown for the party just called and said he can't do it! What do I do for a clown, Piper; we have no clown for Peyton's party!" Phoebe said, wildly.

Piper looked at her sister, "What do you mean he cancelled? We booked him weeks ago to come entertain the kids."

"You see my problem," Phoebe said tossing up her arms in exasperation.

"Sounds like a good thing to me." Chris Halliwell walked into the kitchen, grabbing a seat beside his brother. "Clowns are creepy."

"But I love clowns," Peyton said, rocking back and forth on her heels, unable to stand still, "And Mommy promised she'd get one for my party."

Phoebe placed a hand on her daughter's head, "I know sweetie," she said calmly, "And you already have so much other stuff for you and your friends."

Peyton smiled to her two older cousins, "I'm having a magician, and a bouncing thing, and games, and a piñata, and lots and lots of candy and cupcakes and ice cream, and presents, and balloons, and—"

Wyatt and Chris glanced at each other.

"And music, and noise makers, and fireworks! Lots of fireworks!" Peyton's eyes glowed with excitement.

Phoebe shook her head, "There aren't any fireworks, sweetie, I told you that."

Peyton's smile disappeared as her face turned into a small pout, "I know. But I love fireworks."

"Oh, you'll be having so much fun with everything else, you won't even notice," Piper said. In a whisper to her sister she added, "And with any luck, the demon attacks will hold off till tomorrow."

Peyton smiled at her cousins again, "You're coming to my party right? My sisters, Henry, Pandora, Parker, and Mel are," she asked bouncing up and down again.

"Seeing as we live here, I don't think we have much choice," Chris said, only to receive a fierce look from his mother.

"Course we are," Wyatt said smiling. Peyton's energy was infectious.

His youngest cousin glared at him suspiciously. "You didn't forget, did you?" she demanded, her small hands placed on her hips.

Chris smirked, "Yeah, Wy. You didn't forget did you?" Knowing only too well that he had.

Still flashing his winning smile at Peyton, Wyatt shoved Chris off his chair causing him to land with a thud on the kitchen floor.

"Ouch!"

"Course I didn't forget," Wyatt said, innocently, "How could I forget my favorite cousin's birthday?"

Peyton laughed, obviously convinced, as she danced out the room. Phoebe had decided to try calling for another clown as she too made her way out of the kitchen. "We still need to hang the streamers and blow up the balloons, if you could do that Piper. Thanks."

"Nu-uh, no way," Piper said, "I've still got this cake to work on. Get Paige to do it."

Phoebe waved a hand behind her as she dialed the phone again and left.

Piper rounded on her two sons, "Or one of you two could help out here."

Wyatt and Chris both got up, backing out of the kitchen.

"Can't. Gotta find a present—"

"I have this thing—"

"Not enough time—"

"Later."

And with that, they both left before their mother could get a word in edge wise.

Piper sighed.

"Boys."

**

**

Chris and Wyatt found there way into the front room where Leo and Mel were setting out plates and trays for food and Coop and Patience were stock piling Peyton's presents. The twins were arguing about something relatively unimportant, while HJ seemed to be trying to break them up. Peyton and Penelope were directing Henry as he attempted to hang up a crooked birthday banner. The entire house seemed to be filling up with colors of red, pink, and purple.

The boys hardly took two more steps, however, when suddenly three dark clad demons shimmered into the room, followed quickly by a sinister looking darklighter.

Penny and Peyton screamed simultaneously as Henry yelled to the ceiling, "Paige!" And all three fathers moved to block their children from harm. Though considering what they were facing, it wasn't likely to do much good.

Piper and Phoebe ran into the room just as Paige orbed beside her sisters. The three of them stood protectively between their family and the demons, poised to fight.

"Piper, blast them!" Phoebe yelled.

Piper flicked her hands at one of the demons, but he simply stumbled back a few steps with the force of the blast, only to stand straight again and shake it off.

"Uh-oh" Piper said.

"Well that didn't work," Paige added.

Wyatt and Chris stood off to one side, apart from the rest of the family. Wyatt looked from the three sisters, to the demons, and then to the waiting darklighter.

_Why isn't he attacking? _

One look at Chris told him, his brother was thinking the same thing.

The demon in the center and most obviously the leader, stepped forward. "Ah, the Charmed Ones," he said, in a silky voice that radiated confidence, "So nice to finally meet you in person, but we're not here for you."

"What do you want?" Piper demanded.

The demon smiled wickedly as he stared in Wyatt's direction.

"We're here for your prodigy."

As if on cue, the darklighter raised his crossbow, aimed at the eldest charmed child and fired off an arrow.

Wyatt moved instinctively to raise his shield, but Chris jumped in front him, the arrow landing in his shoulder with a sickening sound.

"CHRIS!"

Before the darklighter could fire again, Piper blasted him with a quick wave of her hands. Chris fell to the floor with a thud, Wyatt watching helplessly. As he glanced back up, the three demons vanished before the sisters could stop them.

Piper ran to her youngest son, kneeling down beside him.

"Mom, pull it out, pull it out!" Wyatt said, slightly frantic at being unable to touch the poisoned arrow.

Piper didn't need telling as she was already carefully and slowly removing it from Chris's shoulder. The rest of the family could only watch and wait, those with whitelighter blood keeping at a safe distance.

"S'not… so bad," Chris mumbled weakly.

"Shut up, you moron," Wyatt said back, causing Chris to smile slightly, "I have a shield, you idiot! What were you thinking?"

"Wasn't…thinking," he replied.

"You got that right."

The minute Piper had the arrow out; Wyatt placed his hands over Chris's wound, allowing it to heal. As the bloody hole disappeared, Chris sat up, rubbing his shoulder.

"You alright, sweetie?" Phoebe asked, at the same time Piper pulled her son into a fierce hug.

"Mom, I'm fine," Chris said as she let go.

They stood up, the rest of the family coming over to join them. Piper continued to search her youngest son for any other injuries, while saying adamantly that he should not put himself in danger like that.

"What were they?" Coop asked what everyone was thinking.

"Demons, obviously," Paige said, as the twins rushed to her side, "But upper level ones from the looks of it."

Leo nodded in agreement as he took his turn to check Chris over, "Not ones that I'm familiar with."

"We'll have to check the book for a spell or potion," Phoebe said.

Peyton looked upset. "But what about my party?" she said.

Phoebe picked up her youngest daughter, hugging her. "Don't worry, honey, we're still gunna celebrate your birthday," she said. She looked at Piper. "Right?"

"I don't know, Phoebe—" Piper began.

"Sure we are," Leo cut in, "We can handle it, Piper."

"But what do they want?" Patience asked from her father's side.

The room turned abruptly silent. No one really wanting to answer her. Wyatt felt uncomfortably out of place and a sudden desire to be alone swelled within him.

Without a word, Wyatt pushed past Henry and HJ to make his way up the stairs, ignoring the calls after him and shutting the door to his room.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: We don't own Charmed, but it's fun to dream.

StorySpinner#1: Thankx for the reviews. Sorry this chapter is shorter than the last, but this was originally just supposed to be a one-shot.

StorySpinner#2: The flashback was fun to write. :)

StorySpinner#1: Just remember... this _is_ a story about Wyatt.

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Wyatt paced back and forth in his room, rubbing his fist in his hand, furious at himself. He should have _done_ something. He should have raised his shield faster, pushed Chris out of the way, _something_! Stupid!

Wyatt kicked the end of his bed, anger and frustration taking the place of the fear he had felt moments earlier. Soft morning sunshine streamed into his room, lighting this dresser, the floor, and other objects that were scattered about. Wyatt hardly noticed as he moved across the length of his room, kicking or stepping on things here and there.

Chris was almost killed because of him. It was his job to protect this family, _his_ family. But instead he had acted like this was his first demon attack.

Wyatt groaned in aggravation as he slid down the side of his bed, leaning against it and sitting on his bedroom floor.

What good was all this power, if he couldn't protect the ones he loved?

He put them in danger, put Chris in danger, and was now feeling completely and utterly guilty.

Wyatt put his head in his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees.

Chris was fine, though. He knew that. They were all fine. But it didn't stop him from feeling responsible.

Though, Wyatt had learned a while ago that Chris could handle himself.

*** * * * * * ***

_In one of the many hallways at Magic School, a crowd of eager, watching students had gathered in between classes. They had formed a circle around two figures, cheering and hollering, grouped so close together, each one struggling to get a glimpse at the action._

"_Fight! Fight! Fight!" _

_Wyatt had managed to push through a section of the crowd, halfway to the middle of the ring. Peeking between heads and shoulders, he could just make out the tall figure and dark black hair of Drake Galen, a self-proclaimed tough guy and known bully._

_Wyatt didn't even need to see the other, smaller figure to know exactly who it was. Chris was the only kid at Magic School whom Drake loved to pick on and had been doing so for as long as he could remember._

_Every instinct in Wyatt's body was telling him to rush in there. To shove his way through the crowd of magical students and finally put Drake in his place. _

_But something held him back. As if he knew that that's not what Chris needed right now. _

"_What's the matter Halliwell?" Drake called to Chris's back as his brother tried to walk away, "You don't wanna fight?"_

_Chris refused to respond as he kept walking._

_Drake was close behind him. "You scared or somethin'?" Drake cooed, "You too good to fight me, is that it, Halliwell?"_

_Chris balled his fists in anger. _

"_Or maybe," Drake continued, "You're just too weak to fight me! Too weak to be a Halli—"_

_WHAM!_

_Chris's fist collided with the side of Drake's head as he whirled around and landed a blinding right hook._

_Drake fell to the floor, gripping his head in pain, complete shock written all over his face. The group of kids went nuts, but before anything more could happen, a few teachers forced their way to the center, yelling, scolding, handing out detentions, and breaking up the crowd._

_Wyatt let himself be ushered along with the other students till he could slip off to the side as the teachers made their way past. One teacher was supporting a wobbly Drake off to get some help._

_Wyatt waited as the last of the students disappeared to their next classes. Chris walked up to his brother, shaking his bruised fist, and still looking furious._

"_Drake's a jerk," Chris said vehemently, looking down at his hand._

_Wyatt was smiling as he agreed, "I know."_

"_He just wouldn't shut up!" Chris continued._

"_I saw."_

"_It's like he was born stupid!"_

"_Definitely."_

"_He deserved it!"_

"_You got that right."_

_Chris finally looked up at his brother. Wyatt was beaming by now, but not saying a word._

"_My hand hurts."_

"_Not as much as Drake's face."_

_Both boys were laughing now at the image of Drake falling to the floor dumbfounded and completely stunned. They didn't stop laughing till a teacher finally found them and sent them off to class._

_*** * * * * ***_

Wyatt banged the back of his head on the edge of his bed as he still sat with his arms resting on his knees.

He hating feeling helpless; hated feeling like he couldn't do something.

Wyatt Halliwell was definitely over-protective at times when it came to his family. To many, Wyatt was known to be the big football star, the sometimes stuck up good-looking brother, and all around Mr. Popular.

But, people only saw what he wanted them to see.

In truth, Wyatt Halliwell was much like his father. Strong, kind, and always trying to see the good in people. His stubbornness, much like his brother's, and temper came from his mother.

Kids at school would joke that Wyatt must obviously be the "golden boy" in the family, the favorite child, but he knew the truth. Chris was.

Mom and Dad were very protective of Chris, usually taking his side or simply fussing over him when he got into trouble. They didn't mean to, it just happened, as if they were trying to make up for something and usually Chris and Mel hardly noticed. But Wyatt did. When he was younger, Wyatt was expected to look out for his brother and sister, to take care of them, whether they knew about it or not. He still did. And always would.

Melinda rarely ever got into trouble, though; generally staying clear of demonic fights and magical confrontations.

Christopher, on the other hand, had a certain knack for getting into trouble. And trouble, it seemed, had a knack for finding Wyatt.

He remembered, when he was younger, asking his mother and even his Aunt Prue what it meant to be the oldest sibling. What it was like. They had looked at him curiously, smiling warmly, and giving the best answers they could. Telling him the good times and bad times; about the laughs they shared as sisters.

But they never told him it would be so hard. That all this power and responsibility would come at a price.

He often felt the pressure; bearing down on him like a weight he could not get rid of. The eager eyes always watching; expecting great things from him. Like the fate of the entire world rested on his shoulders and he was struggling to stand, struggling to breathe with it all.

It didn't matter how hard his mother and aunts tried for a life outside of magic; a life without spells, or potions, or demons. Wyatt knew, deep down, that he would never have a normal life. Ever.

But he guessed that was what came with being the son of a Charmed One. A Prophesized Being. The Master of Excalibur. The Twice Blessed Child.

Ha!

Wyatt could have laughed at the idea. He felt far from being blessed.

If anything, Wyatt Halliwell felt cursed.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: As we've said before, we don't own Charmed.

StorySpinner#1: Just wanted to get this chapter out there before the new year.

StorySpinner#2: Have a great holiday everyone!

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It wasn't long before Wyatt found his way out of his room and up to the attic. He didn't want to see the rest of the family right now, so he left them to continue on organizing Peyton's party. And probably prepare for another demon attack.

However, as he walked through the doorway, Wyatt realized he was not alone. Chris stood at the other end of the room, absent mindedly turning pages of the Book of Shadows.

Chris looked up as Wyatt entered and offered a small smile, "Hey."

Guilt still wrenched at Wyatt's insides. "You alright?" he asked.

"I think I should be asking you that," Chris replied, raising an eyebrow.

Wyatt just waved an unconcerned hand in his brother's direction. Chris shook his head at his brother and resumed flipping through the Book.

Wyatt didn't need to ask what Chris was searching for. Knowing him, it would be what type of demons had attacked earlier and how to stop them. He was pretty sure his mother, Aunt Phoebe, and Aunt Paige had already found what they were looking for, but weren't too likely to share details with their prying nephews.

Wyatt wandered around the attic, moving in and around all the boxes and things stored there over the years, not really looking at anything in particular. Chris continued to read, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Chris loved the Book of Shadows. However much Excalibur was Wyatt's, the Book was definitely Chris's. He knew its pages and contents inside out and had spent so much time with it that the Book seemed to recognize Chris's touch; opening to the pages he was looking for instantly.

So much like his mother, Chris Halliwell had a tendency to worry and could be kind of neurotic at times. But he was understanding when he needed to be and was always the fighter. Though, it appeared to run as a theme that all the members of the Halliwell family had a self-sacrificing edge.

If Chris inherited anything from his father, it was his hidden temper. He took things in stride, not easily losing control. It took a lot to set Chris off, and when it did, his temper could match that of his brother's.

Wyatt and Piper had a tendency to blow things up when they got mad.

Chris had a remarkable ability to adapt easily and quickly to change. It's what made him great at disguising himself. Great at undercover work against the demons both boys secretly fought.

But Wyatt and Chris guessed their mother knew about their excursions to the underworld even when they tried hard to hide it from her.

_* * * * * *_

_Wyatt and Chris stood watching as Leo supported a bruised Piper toward the stairs, intent on giving her some rest. The house was a mess, wreckage lying everywhere in the form of shattered glass, a broken table, and one sad looking grandfather clock._

_Two demons known as Scythes had attacked the house just moments before, resulting in one's fiery demise, one's quick escape and a rather banged up Piper. She had refused to let her son heal her, claiming it was just a few scratches and stating pointedly that she didn't want magic for every minute injury._

_Wyatt was pacing back forth across the debris strewn floor, while Chris stood with his arms crossed, glaring at their stubborn mother. Both boys were furious at having not been here when the demons attacked._

"_Leo, I'm fine," Piper said to her husband, pushing his hands away, "Stop fussing already." Leo, however, didn't back off as he continued to help her in the direction of the stairs._

"_Mom, you should let us help—" Chris began._

_Piper cut him off. "No, I said I'm fine," she stated, hiding a wince as she walked, "If you wanna help, you can start by cleaning up this mess," Piper indicted to what used to be the living room. _

_Even as the two of them started their way up the stairs, Wyatt was already planning on going after the demon that gotten away; determined to vanquish it before it came after their mother again._

_He looked at Chris, silently communicating his next course of action. His brother nodded in agreement, probably already forming a plan._

"_And under no circumstances are you two allowed out of this house!" Piper stared, pointing back at her sons._

_Wyatt and Chris exchanged a glance, both thinking the exact same thing. It was like she could read minds._

"_And yes," Piper called over her shoulder as she and Leo disappeared upstairs, "I can."_

_* * * * * *_

Wyatt continued to circle the attic, thinking to himself.

He found his way over to one of the far reaching corners, blocked off by several useless chairs and broken toys; Chris still staring intently at the Book and Wyatt not saying anything so as not to bother him.

Besides, if anyone could find anything useful to fight against those demons, it was Chris.

For some reason, the Book reacted differently when Wyatt touched it. Sometimes it would shut closed unexpectedly, or simply flip to an unrelated page causing him to loose his place. It was as if it couldn't make up its mind whether or not the eldest charmed child should look through its pages.

Wyatt simply shrugged off the idea and continued searching around the attic half-heartedly.

He stopped when he reached a far back corner where a rather large shape sat, covered by an old, weathered blanket. Wyatt slid the blanket off the top, slightly protruding, end and allowed a half-smile to show on his face.

It might have seemed ridiculous at first, to leave Excalibur in the attic of the Manor, where it could be stolen during demon attacks. But it really wasn't that easy to take. It had to be orbed just to move the giant rock the sword currently resided in, and the blade itself could not be removed, let alone budged, by any magical creature, good or evil. So the sisters just kept it here, close by where Piper could keep an eye on it.

Wyatt, himself wasn't allowed to use the sword till he turned eighteen, but sneaking a glance at it wasn't against the rules.

As he placed his hand on the golden hilt, Wyatt felt a certain warmth creep up to the tips of his fingers and down his hand. It emitted a soft, faint glow from where hand and sword connected, and Wyatt was overcome with a welcoming sense of calm and . . . . familiarity?

"Don't let mom catch you over there," Chris said from somewhere behind him. Wyatt nodded.

Excalibur had a strange effect on different people; instilling a strong sense of righteousness and courage in some who saw it, while others experienced a sudden rush for vengeance and danger. That's one reason the sword was to be covered up and left in the back. Outta sight, outta mind, he guessed. Only Chris, other than Wyatt himself, was able to withstand the strange lure of the sword.

Wyatt pulled the blanket back over the hilt, cutting off the soft glow immediately. Wyatt remanded standing there, wondering what it all meant.

Was he supposed to _fight_ with the sword? Lead an army or something? Or was it more of a symbol, a representation . . . but of _what? _He didn't know.

And the "not knowing" was starting to get to him.

"What am I supposed to do?" The words tumbled from Wyatt's lips, louder than he intended them to be.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

Wyatt found his way back through the piles and piles of miscellaneous stuff across the attic, back to the old couch and sat down.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't know how I'm supposed to fight demons like these, and protected countless innocents, and save the magical community," Wyatt said, defeat evident in his voice.

Chris closed the Book and walked over to his brother. He flopped down next to Wyatt and gave him an understanding look. Wyatt didn't have to explain further, even if he thought he could. Chris just knew.

"You don't have to do it alone, Wyatt," Chris said, meaning every word.

Wyatt glanced back at his brother, seeing the seriousness in his green eyes, and suddenly understood that, no matter what happened in this family; Chris would always look out for him.

It was an undeniable feeling. But Wyatt realized that Chris would die for his brother if he had to.

And Wyatt swore he would do the same.

"It's a lot to take in, you know?" Wyatt said.

Chris smiled, "Yeah, I'm surprised your head isn't swollen up with all this."

Wyatt shoved his brother. "Watch it. I can still kick your puny little ass," he replied.

Chris smirked, "Wanna bet?" he said, shoving him back.

As they laughed, Wyatt could feel his anxiety and doubts ebbing away. Like a poison slowly being extracted from his body, leaving only relief and contentment behind.

He needed this. Needed his brother more than anyone else in the world. They balanced each other out. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but together creating a power and team to be reckoned with.

Suddenly breaking up the silence, a short, brown haired girl rushed into the attic, scurrying over to one of the back shelves and searching frantically.

"Ah! Where is it?" Mel groaned as she pushed aside various bottles and boxes.

Wyatt and Chris just watched as she finally pulled out a small, ribbon covered box with a sigh of relief.

"Gotch ya!" she said, smiling at the colorfully wrapped present. She turned around and caught sight of her brothers sitting on the coach. "Hey, you guys better get downstairs. They want the family to sing and give presents before the guests get here," she said calmly.

The boys just shrugged, figuring they'd get there eventually.

Mel raised an eyebrow at her two brothers as she headed back out the door. "I don't get you two sometimes," she said, "Don't keep Mom waiting"

Gift in hand, she called behind her as she disappeared, "And I thought Chris was the only surly one on birthdays."

Wyatt glanced up curiously at Mel's words.

That's right. Chris did hate birthdays. Because. . .

"Hey, Chris. Why do you hate birthdays?"

Chris leaned back on the coach, staring at something Wyatt couldn't see.

"I dunno," he said finally, "It's just sort of . . . a feeling . . . you know?"

Wyatt was pretty sure he didn't understand, but then again, weird feelings in this family weren't that unusual.

"But, I'm awesome at finding gifts," Chris said, standing up and making his way towards the door.

Crap.

Wyatt still didn't have a present for Peyton.

"So, what did you get Peyton?"

"Yeah right, like I'm gunna tell the guy who can't keep secrets."

Wyatt raised a hand to his head, considering his options.

Chris smirked, knowing what his brother was thinking, "Hey, you'll probably just give her a piece of paper that says, '_Good for One Free Orb_' or something." he joked.

Wyatt got up to follow his brother, suddenly looking hopeful, "Do you think that'd work?"

Chris just shook his head as he left the attic, muttering something about being clueless.

Wyatt followed after his brother.

"No seriously!"

**

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	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: As always, we don't own Charmed.

Spinner#1: So, this is the last chapter of our relatively short story. Whether you enjoyed it...or not, we certainly had fun writting it.

Spinner#2: And despite the title, it does have a happy ending :)

**

**

**

CRASH!

Wyatt and Chris had barely made it to the second floor, laughing and joking around, when they heard it.

"Paige! Behind you!"

SLAM!

"Piper! The spell, the spell!"

Their smiles vanishing instantly, the Halliwell brothers didn't waste another moment before racing to find the others.

The house was in chaos.

Not only had the same three demons reappeared, bypassing protections the girls had undoubtedly put up, but they also brought along reinforcements. This told Wyatt two things; first, that these three, dark-clad demons were not as tough as they had seemed at first, and second, with so many other miscellaneous demons posing as a shield, it would be difficult to reach them before it was too late. Before somebody got hurt.

Demons ranging in several sizes and appearances were currently battling different members of their family, but they were obviously of lower levels. The problem, however, proved in the sheer number of them. The three demons in the center avoided any attacks that managed to get through, firing their own right back with surprising accuracy.

As the two boys reached the bottom of the stairs, Chris suddenly turned to his brother, concern written on his face. "They're somewhat like Hark Demons," he said, "Not all that well planned or difficult to vanquish. But unfortunately these guys seem to be hopped up on power at the moment."

Wyatt nodded, noting that they didn't have time to say much, "What do you think?" he asked.

"I think, even though one power wasn't enough to vanquish them, they're still vulnerable to our active powers," Chris continued. A couple of demons had suddenly spotted the new arrivals. "So maybe, we—"

Chris's statement was cut off as one of the dark Hark demons raised a hand, firing off an electric-blue orb.

Wyatt threw his shield up for the briefest of seconds, blocking the energy-ball. Chris pushed past his brother and with a flick of his hand, hurled a random demon back into one of his comrades.

"Boys!" their mother yelled as she blasted another demon into thousands of smoking pieces, "I want you to get your sister and cousins out of here NOW!"

"Mom!" Wyatt called, alerting Piper to a fast approaching demon at her right. Wyatt moved to his left away from the stairs as he dodged another fireball, looking back to see Piper round on another demon.

"We're not just gong to leave you!" Chris said, echoing his brother's thoughts.

"Christopher!"

One of the not-quite-Hark demons standing near the center of the room chuckled darkly as they observed the proceedings. "No one's going anywhere," he said, his lips twitching in obvious delight.

"You see," one of his partners said languidly, "Though we can't stop you from orbing within the house, with some help, we are able to prevent any of you from leaving by magical means."

_What?_ Wyatt thought, _How were they able to pull that off?_

"So long as one of us remains, the enchantment will as well," the third said.

"Well then it's a good thing we're here to vanquish _all_ of you," Phoebe replied.

Now, the sisters found their way to each other, Piper standing in the middle as she held up a small piece of paper. The rest of the family tried to stand back, already knowing what was coming next.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige chanted in perfect unison,

_Cause of conflict, magic so dark,_

_We right the wrongs with indelible mark,_

_Power of Three summoned at our call,_

_Vanquish this evil once and for all._

The demon at the far right suddenly cried out with an earsplitting scream of rage and pain. White hot fire encased his body, until the flames overtook him completely as he burst into a shower of darkly glowing ash. The remaining two demons spared only a moment's unconcerned glance at their fallen companion until turning once again to face the Halliwell family.

The sisters, however, looked slightly confused.

"I thought you said that would work," Phoebe whispered out of the side of her mouth.

Paige tilted her head slightly, "Maybe it was the word 'once'?"

The additional surrounding demons had steadily drawn closer. Other family members such as Parker, Melinda, and HJ were trying to force the demons back, but they weren't going to be able to hold them off forever. Leo and Henry, unfortunately, had the added bonus of being mortal.

Piper said quickly, "Alright, change 'once' to 'now' or something. We don't have a lot of time!"

_Cause of—_

But the Charmed Ones didn't get any farther as several demons grabbed Phoebe and Piper from behind, breaking the spell and separating the sisters in one swift motion.

"Chair!" Paige yelled, successfully throwing the wooden rocker into an approaching female demon. Phoebe kicked behind her; knocking away her assailant just in time to avoid an energy-ball headed her direction. It was clear the demons were slowly diminishing in number, one by one, with only a few left, but if they kept this up the two Hark demons would escape. And try again in the future.

Wyatt couldn't just stand there any longer. He stepped closer toward the taller demons, stance set and hands ready. He hadn't used this power more than a couple of times and never in an actual fight until now. He glanced over at Chris, who stood farther over to his right. He hoped this worked.

The Hark demons turned away from the Charmed Ones and focused their attention on the Halliwell brothers. The leader of the remaining two let a sinister smile grace his face, an eagerness glinting in his eyes. Before either of them could utter a single insult or start an attack, Wyatt raised his hands, palms out, as a surge of power radiated through his body to the end of his finger tips. At the exact same time, bright blue bolts of electricity shot forward from Chris's hands, both attacks aimed simultaneously at the demons.

Red mixed with blue. Both demons hardly had the chance to stumble backward as they were hit at full force, their bodies incinerated and leaving nothing but ash and ember behind. At the sight of their employer's demise, the few lower level demons left instantly shimmered out before they met a similar fate.

Utterly spent, Wyatt sagged to the floor. His heart was beating a mile a minute while his breath came in pants. He couldn't believe that it actually worked. In all cases, it probably shouldn't have worked, but if it meant no more demons for the time being, he'd take it. Wyatt leaned back against the side edge of the couch closing his eyes with a sigh. When he opened them again, he was surprised to find Chris sitting next to him. _When did that happen?_

Chris's hands were shaking slightly and breathing just as hard as his brother. But that's what happened when you used too much power and weren't quite ready for it. At least no one was telling them to get up and start cleaning the mess. Though, they'd probably be getting a lecture about this later.

Chris smirked at his brother.

"My power... still cooler."

"You...wish."

**

**

_Let the object of objection become but a dream,  
As I cause the scene, to be unseen._

It didn't take long for the Halliwell Manor to return to it's usual spotless self and for the injured to be healed while their day gradually settled back to normal. Phoebe managed to slip in the argument that personal gain did not apply to distraught birthday girls.

The Halliwell's were not known to be easily intimidated, so it was no surprise that the birthday party would go on, demon attack or no demon attack.

However, due to the earlier events, the family didn't have long before guests started to arrive. In that time, parents and children alike gathered into the dining room, Peyton seated at the head of the table.

Surrounded by gifts of all shapes and sizes, the youngest Charmed child proudly wore her bright birthday crown and equally bright smile on her excited face. By now, Peyton had opened presents consisting of clothes, shoes, dolls, stuffed animals, and more.

Wyatt squirmed guiltily in his seat as Peyton opened Mel's gift of a small pink purse.

Phoebe, both collecting trash and placing her daughter's gifts off to the side, handed Peyton a simply wrapped red box, easily the smallest present of the lot. Wyatt didn't need to ask who it was from as he glanced over at Chris and his younger brother merely shrugged, looking back at their cousin.

Peyton gave a small cry of delight as she pulled out a beautiful, silver charm bracelet. It had a mixture of different charms dangling from the small chain, the largest being one in the shape of the letter P. Not unlike that of Piper's own bracelet.

"Aww, Chris it's so beautiful," Penelope said, trying to get a better look, but was blocked by Peyton holding it tightly in her small hands.

Patience added solemnly, "Now my gift sucks."

Mel laughed. "At least we know yours is better than Wyatt's," she said.

"Hey!"

Piper walked in from the kitchen, carrying a delicious-looking chocolate cake with candles already lit. Coop dimmed the lights, as Piper set down the tray in front of Peyton. People could say it was a little ridiculous to have two separate cakes, one for now and one for the party, but it was sort of an unspoken tradition that the family sung to the birthday girl or boy first.

As the family began to sing, guys included, Wyatt was struck with a sudden idea.

He wasn't sure where it came from, or what possessed him to do it, but the eldest Charmed child held up his hand quietly, high enough that only Chris, who was sitting next to him, could see. Slowly, almost gently, Wyatt opened his hand and splayed his fingers. He felt a tiny tickle of power, then...

Miniature fireworks, red, yellow, green, blue, exploded high above Peyton's head, colors dancing on the walls and ceiling. Peyton laughed, clutching the small charm bracelet close to her as the rest of the family continued to sing and laugh with her.

Chris gave Wyatt a half-questioning, half-amused look. "I didn't know you could do that?"

"Neither did I," Wyatt said, but for some reason he was sure he had done it once before.

"Show off," Chris smiled as he punched Wyatt in the arm, their own strange way of showing affection.

And as he watched the fireworks disappear and the lights turn back up; his cousin's claiming what section of the cake they wanted, while Peyton was given the first piece; his entire family, happy, laughing, joking around, Wyatt Halliwell thought maybe, just maybe, he was blessed after all.

THE END

**

**


End file.
